Princess Europa Exhibition
Historical overview of the iconographic representation of the Abduction of Europa, through an impressive collection of original pieces, dating from ancient times to the present, engravings, coins and medals, porcelain, stamps, press illustrations, all set in the political, cultural and social context of their times.
This exhibition came about through the realisation that among the 27 Member States of the European Union, the greater public is largely unaware of the common cultural and historical wealth shared by all European citizens.
The aim is to show that, while we, European citizens, have different nationalities, and speak different languages, we are nevertheless heirs to a European culture marked by its combination of unity and diversity. In the spirit of such unity, we hold to the same values and the same basic principles that lie at heart of a European identity.
The intention behind the Princess Europa exhibition is to raise questions about European identity, by reinforcing the sense of belonging to the European Union, and highlighting the place of Belgium at its core.
Displaying signs of a common heritage would make little sense were it not possible to establish a link with current affairs and by so doing show that the building of the European Union is constantly in motion. For this reason, the exhibition will also provide an occasion for well-known cartoonists to display their caricatures based on European current affairs in the last 20 years…
In fact, the association of those people who, in their own way, illustrate the current state of the European Union in the international press offers a perspective well-anchored in the underlying reality of communications, with all its impetus and impulses, challenges and disappointments.
The Princess Europa exhibition is putting on display a collection of ancient works from the first centuries BC up to the 21st century, the fruit of research carried out by Alain Roba for almost 35 years.
There we can admire stamps, engravings and ancient books, art works, porcelain sets, ancient and contemporary coins and medals, stamps, and assorted objects related with this subject and showing how the political grouping we are harnessed to in fact has a history that dates back to an original myth: Zeus’ abduction of Europa.
Works created by artists the world over are the expression of centuries of common roots, cultural fertility and political exchange.
The museum journey, divided into segments by time and subject, allows the visitor to discover in an interesting and clarifying way how Europe was yesterday, how it stands today and what it might become tomorrow.
A founding myth:
In Greek mythology, Zeus, enflamed by the princess Europa, daughter of Agenor, King of Tyr, transforms himself into a white bull to seduce her. She trustingly sits on the animal’s back who whisks her off to Crete. There he takes her as his bride. Minos and his dynasty are the fruit of their union.
The journey of Europa takes her from East to West where she gives her name to the European Continent.
From Antiquity to the other end of art history, we can find the uninterrupted representation of this myth for more than 30 centuries. From the Hellenic statues to contemporary artists, down through the centuries, from the Renaissance to modern times, painting, poetry and music have harked back to sources thousands of years old.
A ravished maiden, then a lover during roman times, later a young elegant princess, alongside the appeased bull. In times of strife she has worn a helmet similar to Athena watching over the city, prepared for war in a just cause. Ultimately, alongside other European symbols, she accompanies political events in the construction of the European Union as a sign of movement rather than accomplishment.
